Frank Purser

Francis Carmichael Purser was an Irish physician and rugby union player.

Biography

Born in British India, Purser lost his mother while still a baby and was sent by his father, an Indian Civil Service official, to live with extended family in Galway. He was a nephew of the portrait artist Sarah Purser. After attending Galway Grammar School, Purser studied medicine at Trinity [College Dublin] and as a varsity rugby player for Dublin [University Football Club|Dublin University] was capped three times for Ireland national [rugby union team|Ireland] in the 1898 Home Nations, utilised as a three-quarter.
Purser began his medical career as a pathologist and general physician, before branching out into neurology. Becoming one of Ireland's leading neurologists, Purser was an honorary professor of neurology at Trinity College Dublin. He served as president of the Royal [College of Physicians of Ireland] and Irish Medical Association.